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“They both know your family is a threat. Sometimes kids go and do dumb things even when you tell them not to.”
“Ava didn’t have a chance for much of that,” she retorted. He made it sound like it was all so easy, like kids were just going to be kids, and they had to let go of what they couldn’t control. Maybe that was fine for him and Hunter, but Max just had no idea how difficult this had been. “She knew how grave our situation was. She had to listen to what I said because I was trying to keep her alive and safe. It wasn’t until right before we left that she’d started doing anything the least bit disobedient, and that was more of a test of her magic than anything.”
Max let out that long, breathy growl that she was so familiar with as he swiveled his head side to side, scanning the sidewalks. “I don’t know why you don’t think I understand that. I do. That’s exactly why I’m saying that things were different for us.”
Sarah pressed her lips together. Was she really being unreasonable? Was she asking too much? Hell, the only thing she wanted was to get her children back. She stopped bothering to argue for the moment while she, too, looked around. It was so strange to finally see Eugene again. She’d known the town well before, and it carried a certain sense of familiarity with it, but it was like reliving an old dream. She didn’t remember that insurance office being gray, and where she expected a tiny shop, she found a parking lot instead. The sidewalk there was new, and one restaurant had been swapped out for another. It was too much like coming back to Max, where things were the same, yet not. She focused on faces, looking for any signs of her children, a struggle, or anything else that might help.
“There they are.” Max yanked the vehicle over to the side of the street, bumping the tire against the curb and barely throwing it into park before he was out the door.
Sarah shot out after him, charging up to where her kids sat on a bench. Ava’s hair was tangled, and she had a scratch on her cheek. Hunter’s arms were covered in smudges of dirt, and his shirt had a long rip at the bottom. Something had definitely happened, and it was more than just him dropping his phone. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He held up his cell to show the shattered screen. “I dropped it when they attacked.”
Max looked around. “Are they still here?”
“No. They ran off that way. Since I couldn’t reach you, I decided the best thing was to stay put for the moment. I would’ve walked over to Selene’s, but I knew they weren’t open yet, so Rex probably wouldn’t be there.”
“Good thinking. Let’s get in the car.” He ushered them back to the vehicle.
Sarah waited until both kids were in the back seat with their doors shut before she got in herself. She fell into her seat, exhausted and tense. “What happened?”
“We were just walking down the sidewalk, about to go check out some stores, when these two guys attacked us,” Hunter explained. His eyebrows drew together as he recounted the tale, making him look even more like his father than he already did. “It caught me by surprise, and I dropped my phone. They took us down an alley, and a car was waiting down at the other end.”
Sarah’s nausea instantly came back. This hadn’t been random.
“There was no way we were going with them. I shifted. I know I’m not supposed to do it in town and in broad daylight, but I had to. I knew it was the only way I’d be able to fight two of them off and help Ava.” He lifted his chin, waiting for the lecture that would come.
“Sometimes, that’s what we have to do,” came Max’s reply.
Hunter took that as his cue. “I was just trying to keep them away from Ava. One was coming after me, but I knew the other would get her. So I bit his ankle and held on, trying to give her a chance to run away.”
“I didn’t really know what to do at first,” Ava cut in. Her eyes were wide and her skin was pale. She’d definitely had a scare, but there was a glimmer of something else just under the surface. “I couldn’t fight them the way that Hunter had. I couldn’t even try to get my wolf to come out. Something else kicked in for me instead, and I didn’t have time to worry about whether or not I was going to get it wrong. I transported both of them into the dumpster.”
“You should’ve heard them!” Hunter added, laughing now. “It was a super nasty dumpster, because we were behind a restaurant. They were screaming like babies in there! But the best part…” He trailed off now because he was laughing so hard.
Sarah didn’t find any of this the least bit funny.
But Ava did. Hunter gestured at her to continue, though she was laughing almost as hard as he was. “I sent the dumpster rolling down the alley, right into their car!”
“Dude, that was the best!” Hunter held out his hand for a high-five from Ava. She stared at his hand for a second before she slapped it.
The two of them had clearly bonded over this experience, and Sarah even had to wonder if they’d rehearsed some of their tale. This wasn’t all just fun and games, though, not by a long shot. “As glad as I am that the two of you have each other’s backs, this isn’t okay. You never should’ve left the house without talking to us.”
Conflict moved over Hunter’s face. “I’m sorry. I just haven’t had to ask permission to leave the house for quite a while.”
He was right, and Sarah knew it. She hated that she didn’t know how to parent her own child, not in a situation like this and not when he technically wasn’t even a child anymore. “Things are different right now. Ava, you’ve got to be more careful than this. You don’t have real-world experience, and as you’ve already seen, you can’t shift to protect yourself yet. You can’t assume you’ll be safe because you’re with another person.”
“It was actually Ava and her magic that saved our asses.” Hunter looked at his little sister and gave her a smile. “I don’t know how long I could’ve held them off by myself, but she took care of them likethat.” He snapped his fingers in the air.
“Who was it?” Max asked. They’d reached the city limits again, and he sped up. He wasn’t going nearly as fast as he had been on their way into town, but there was no need. “Do you have any idea who attacked you or why?”
Ava’s eyes met Sarah’s. “It was some of the younger Greystones. I recognized them. They didn’t live at the packhouse, so I didn’t know their names, but I’d seen them before when we were cleaning up after meetings.”
Max nodded. “We’ll get all this information to Rex. He needs to know. It was bold of them to go for you in public like that, but it’s interesting that they didn’t come to the house. I have to wonder what their strategy is. I’m glad you’re safe, though. No injuries at all?”
Both of them said no, and the conversation seemed to be at an end for the moment. None of it was sitting well with Sarah, though. Everyone else thought things were fine, but they didn’t feel the deep uneasiness that had settled over her shoulders.
Ava had used her magic. It’d saved both of their asses, and it would give them something to talk about for the rest of their lives. What they didn’t understand was that Ava had used that magic right in front of two Greystones. They’d undoubtedly take that information right back to their pack. Edward had already made his feelings plain when it came to having witches in his bloodline, and now he’d have the proof that Ava was exactly the abomination he was trying to prevent.
